Another Christmas Alone?
by Doctor Addison Montgomery
Summary: COMPLETE. EPILOGUE UP. BB Christmas fic. With Parker staying with Rebecca and her boyfriend for Christmas, Booth and Brennan both seem to be spending Christmas alone. Will the festive season bring the two partners even closer together? Please review! Xx
1. Part One

**Another Christmas Alone?**

**Summary: Brennan/Booth. Christmas fic. With Parker staying with Rebecca and her boyfriend for Christmas, Booth and Brennan both seem to be spending Christmas alone. Will the festive season bring the two partners even closer together? **

**Please go easy on me, this is my first ever Bones fic! This will probably end up being about 3 or 4 parts long. Reviews are really appreciated! Xx  
**

"Bloody Christmas." Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan muttered to herself as she crunched through the snow dusted streets to where she had parked her car. With a gloved hand she rummaged through her winter coat pocket for her car keys. Flashing lights were illuminated against the dark night sky and she could hear carols being played somewhere. It was the day before Christmas Eve and the Jeffersonian Institute was officially closed for Christmas, that didn't mean that it wouldn't be business as usual if a particularly pressing case came in over the festive period. Brennan found herself hoping that this would be case and it would definitely beat spending Christmas alone again. As if last year hadn't been bad enough, she may have been at work but it didn't stop it hurting when she saw all of the visitors her colleagues had when she was alone. Brennan had spent her whole career putting the job she loved before the people she loved but it only affected her at Christmas. Seeing everyone else's happiness just made her feel hollow inside.

Eventually she located her keys and unlocked her car; she climbed inside the cold vehicle, which provided only a little protection from the elements. She quickly turned the key in the ignition and put the heater on at its highest setting. Brennan placed her case files on the seat beside her and pulled away from the parking space, thinking only of the leftover Chinese takeaway and the bottle of wine chilling in her refrigerator. It wasn't much of a start to the Christmas period but it was what Brennan wanted, and needed, right now. The festive season always seemed to bring a caseload into the lab and Brennan and her co-workers had been working flat out for the past few weeks. All of them were looking forward to a few days off to relax, all of them except Temperance Brennan.

She recalled a conversation she had had earlier with her partner Agent Seeley Booth.

* * *

"Are you doing anything for Christmas, Booth?" She asked, she had been trying to take his advice, and Angela's for that matter, about being more involved with the people in her life and not just the science of her job. Brennan assumed that Booth would be spending Christmas with his son Parker but she was to be proved wrong.

"Nothing." He grunted as he pulled the Crown Vic into a space outside the lab. "You?"

Brennan shook her head; still surprised that Booth hadn't mentioned Parker. Maybe she should ask him about it? The ringing of Booth's cell phone shattered the moment and the question died on Brennan's lips before she could verbalise it.

"I've got to get back. I'll see you around. Merry Christmas, Bones."

Brennan placed her hand on the door handle and paused before she got out.

"Merry Christmas, Booth."

Now, she reflected, maybe she wasn't the only one who would be spending Christmas alone.

* * *

Brennan cautiously navigated her car through the icy streets of downtown DC, braking gently as she approached a set of traffic lights. She was about to pull away again once the lights turned to green but a disturbance ahead caused her to turn up a side, in the opposite direction to her home. She pulled up against the curb and headed towards a group of people huddled around something in the two-inch deep snow. As Brennan approached the group looked up at her and she produced her identity card from the Jeffersonian Institute. After studying the ID two of the group moved aside and Brennan saw a horrific scene before her. She had seen many skeletal remains before but none chilled her more than finding what was left of a child, it seemed especially cruel at Christmastime.

"I'm Dr Temperance Brennan for the Jeffersonian Institute." She confirmed again. "I'd like you all to step away from the body please." Although the remains were seriously decomposed there was still a high risk of the body being contaminated by these onlookers.

The group dispersed and headed to their cars or their houses for those who lived nearby but on the promise that they would give statements to the police when they arrived. Brennan reached for her cell phone.

"Booth, we have a problem." She said as soon as her partner answered.

She heard the tired sigh at the end of the line. "What is it Bones?"

"There's a body; decomposed, on the corner of 9th Avenue." Brennan explained.

"Okay, I'll send a unit and meet you down there in ten minutes."

Booth hung up the phone, so much for his peaceful Christmas but at the same time at least he and Brennan wouldn't be alone.

* * *

Brennan pulled on her blue jumpsuit over her work clothes, scraped her auburn curls back and put on latex gloves before heading over to the corpse. As she gave the body a cursory examination, Booth briefly interviewed each of the witnesses. When he was done he approached Brennan, his notebook in hand.

"The woman over there, Denise Fielding, says she saw a dark blue van pull away from here earlier today but didn't think anymore of it until she saw the body on her way out to pick her sister up from the airport."

Brennan nodded, looking up at her partner from where she crouched beside the body. Her initial examination of the body told her that it was a young boy somewhere between the age of seven and nine years old.

"I'll need to get the body back to the Jeffersonian and examine it immediately." Brennan told Booth, pushing all thoughts of Chinese takeaway and chilling bottles of wine out of her head.

"But Bones, it's Christmas, the lab will be closed." Booth argued, knowing it was futile but he could see the fatigue in Brennan's sharp blue eyes.

"Booth, I think finding out what happened to this little boy is far more important than the Christmas holidays." Brennan argued, standing up now and placing her hand on her hip.

"Point taken." Booth agreed. "I'll come back to the lab with you."

"You don't have to." Brennan replied. "I'm sure you've got other places to be. As you said, it is Christmas."

"It's nothing that can't wait." He assured her.

* * *

Almost an hour after she had left the Jeffersonian for what she thought would be her Christmas break; Temperance Brennan was back inside the almost empty building. The body of the young boy was laid out on one of the examination tables and Brennan began to examine more closely. Booth, having removed his outdoor jacket, was standing nearby, coffee cup in hand, as he watched the master at work. There was something so soothing about observing the methodical way in which Temperance Brennan worked. He realised how long he must have been watching her when he took a sip of coffee and found it to be cold.

"Bones?" He called. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Thanks Booth." Brennan replied, her eyes never leaving the body before her, her attention never wavering from the task at hand.

Booth headed for the coffee machine and dispensed two cups of the hot caffeinated liquid.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" He heard a voice ask from behind him and Booth spun round in surprise, just managing to maintain his grip on the coffee cups. He found himself face to face with Cam.

"Working a case with Brennan." He told Cam, and briefly explained the events of the last few hours.

"But it's the day before Christmas Eve." Cam said when Booth had finished speaking.

Booth rolled his eyes. "And you think I haven't tried telling her that? You know Brennan, once she gets her teeth into something she won't let go." He didn't add that this was one of the many things he loved about his lady scientist.

Cam smiled ruefully. "Well, I'm leaving now, enjoy your Christmas break Seeley."

"Thanks Cam. You too." He replied before taking the coffee cups back to Brennan.

* * *

Another two hours and more cups of coffee later Brennan bagged and tagged the evidence and took off her overalls, letting her hair fall loose from it's tight bun.

"I've done all I can for tonight. I'll come back and do some additional examinations in the morning." She told Booth who opened his mouth to speak but Brennan stopped him. "I know what you are going to say, Booth."

The detective looked surprised. "I was just going to suggest we stopped for pizza somewhere as it's getting late and I haven't eaten since lunchtime."

Brennan smiled. "Okay." Anything else she was going to say was silenced as her stomach grumbled loudly.

They took Brennan's car, Booth decided to be charitable seeing as it was the festive season so he let his partner drive. They stopped at an all night pizza parlour and Booth offered to go out and get the takeout.

"Does ham and mushroom sound good to you?" Booth asked, pulling his wallet from the pocket of his charcoal grey suit and looking back at Brennan before he went to order their food.

Brennan wondered if it was any coincidence that this happened to be her favourite pizza topping and nodded enthusiastically. While she waited for Booth to return, Brennan turned on the radio and scanned through the stations searching for anything that was not Christmas music. Eventually she gave up and waited for Booth in silence. She reflected that although this was not her ideal Christmas she was still doing the job she loved and spending time with a man she cared more about than she was willing to let on, even to Angela.

**More coming soon...please review...x**


	2. Part Two

**Another Christmas Alone?  
Part Two**

**Thanks to: Becca, CampbellK2, BtvsFifi, Fortune Kookie91, Non Toxic, MegMann, Darcyli81, beaglelvr93, SamandJake, Bex and CSI Angel for all your kind reviews!  
One more part left to go! Please review! Xx**

Ten minutes later, Seeley Booth returned to the car with a large cardboard box of pizza and climbed back into Brennan's car. The smell of the pizza wafting towards her was enough to make Brennan salivate.

"I've got a bottle of wine back at my place, if you'd rather eat there?" She suggested.

Booth agreed heartily and they drove the distance of Brennan's house in silence, both lost in thoughts about the day they had had and the days stretching before them. Neither of them was feeling the Christmas spirit this year and the case, although unpleasant, was a welcome distraction from the festivities. When they reached Brennan's apartment, Booth helped her to gather together plates and napkins while the anthropologist took the chilled bottle of wine from the fridge and found out two glasses. She carried them through to the living area and placed the bottle and the glasses down on the coffee table. As she flopped down onto the leather couch, Brennan felt exhaustion wash over her and gratefully took the plate of pizza from her partner. She hungrily took a large bite and washed it down with a sip of white wine.

Booth found that he was watching her again so he quickly reached out for his own class to hide his own embarrassment. There had always been some kind of attraction between him and 'Bones' but maybe it was just the fatigue and the caffeine in his system that was making him stare just a little too much and a little too often.

"This wine is good." Booth commented, eager to break the silence that he felt was becoming slightly oppressive. He picked up the bottle and studied it for a few moments.

"I'll fight you for the last slice." Brennan challenged, it had been hours since she had last eaten.

"It's all yours." Booth smiled. He looked around the room as if suddenly noticing that something was missing. "You don't have a Christmas tree." He announced.

"Well observed, Detective." She replied wryly.

"But…" Booth began but Brennan cut him off.

"I know: it's _Christmas."_ She rolled her eyes.

"Where is Santa going to put all of your presents?" He said, going along with the banter that they often shared.

Brennan reached out and punched him lightly on the forearm.

"Talking of presents," She said. "I have something for you." She added a little shyly, putting her plate down on the table and leaving the room for a few moments.

* * *

Booth waited for her to come back. He hadn't expected a present from her, this year Angela had been his 'victim' for Secret Santa but he still had still bought Brennan something anyway. He just wasn't quite sure if he had summoned the courage to give it to her yet. At that moment Brennan returned with a parcel wrapped in red and gold paper and he abandoned his train of thought.

"Thanks Bones." Booth smiled as Brennan handed him the gift. "You shouldn't have." He added. "May I open it?"

Brennan nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Go ahead."

Booth carefully tore off the paper to reveal a pair of the most hideous striped socks he had ever seen but he loved them.

"Thanks." He grinned, spontaneously leaning over to hug Brennan. She was surprised but allowed herself to be drawn into his warm embrace, enjoying the feeling of his warm, strong arms around her possibly a little too much.

"I'm glad you like them." Brennan smiled as they regained the original positions on her couch.

Booth looked at his watch and knew that, however much he didn't want to leave Brennan's warm apartment, he needed to get back to the Jeffersonian to pick up his car.

"Do you mind giving me a lift back to the lab?" He asked Brennan.

She nodded and got up to find her keys but Booth was sure he had seen a faint look of disappointment in his partner's blue eyes. They drove back to the Jeffersonian Institute in relative silence which was only properly broken when Booth thanked Brennan for the lift and they arranged to meet up at nine the next morning.

* * *

Temperance Brennan slept very little that night and by seven o'clock the next morning she was lathering her auburn curls with watermelon scented shampoo under a hot shower. She quickly dressed in jeans, white blouse and low-heeled boots before heading straight to the Jeffersonian. She wasn't due to meet Booth there until nine but she wanted to get started as soon as possible. The corpse of the young boy had plagued her mind ever since she and Booth had parted ways the previous evening. She wondered if anyone would step forward and claim him. She hated to think of a family spending Christmas without their son, grandson, nephew or brother; it struck a cord deep within Temperance.

* * *

When Booth arrived at the lab at precisely nine o'clock, Brennan noticed that he also looked as though he had had a rough night. He was still looking as sharp as ever in a black suit and crisp white shirt but his brown eyes looked tired and weary. The case had been preying on his mind too and before meeting up with Brennan he had done some background research of his own.

"Morning." He said, trying to infect some brightness into his voice.

"Morning Booth." Brennan replied, her eyes never leaving the corpse before her.

"Looks like you've been here for a while." Booth commented seeing the empty coffee containers and health snack wrappers that were threatening to escape from the trash.

"I couldn't sleep." Brennan admitted. "I just couldn't stop thinking about this little boy, and I'm one of the few people who can help him now."

"I know." Booth said softly. He understood why Brennan felt so passionate about this case in particular, not that she didn't feel this way about all of her cases. "I've managed to do some research into our John Doe's background, I don't know how helpful it will be until we can get a proper identity though." Booth told her.

Brennan finally looked up from the body and her eyes met his, she could tell that he too cared about this case. When she thought about this she realise how much it must be affecting him too. Their John Doe couldn't be much older than Booth's son Parker. She made a mental note to ask Booth about why he wasn't spending Christmas with his little boy later.

* * *

Over coffee in the empty cafeteria area of the Jeffersonian Institute, Brennan and Booth compared their findings. Brennan compared the characteristics she had found during her examination of John Doe with the missing persons reports that Booth had dug up for her.

"Brennan," He said softly as the time neared three o'clock. "Don't you want to get out of here? I know I've said it countless times, but it is Christmas Eve and you must have somewhere else to be."

Brennan suddenly remembered the mental note she had made earlier.

"I haven't got anywhere else to be, besides our John Doe needs me. What about you? Aren't you going to spend time with Parker?"

Booth seemed to look at Brennan with something close to contempt but it only took her a few seconds to realise that the emotion was not directed at her.

"Rebecca's got a new boyfriend and Parker is spending Christmas with him and his family in Canada." He replied, somewhat bitterly.

Brennan reached out and touched Booth's arm.

"I'm sorry Booth, I know how much you value the time you get to spend with your son."

Booth smiled a little in spite of himself, Temperance Brennan may not show her emotions very often but when she did it was beautiful to experience.

"There's always next year." He sighed.


	3. Part Three

**Another Christmas Alone?  
Part Three**

**This is the final part of this fic as such but I will be writing a tag a long part to clear up the loose ends but this is the main Christmassy BB part.  
I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and welcomed me into the Bones fandom! I'll do proper thank yous later on!  
Merry Christmas! Enjoy, and please review! Xx**

-

"Bones." He whispered, lightly tapping the shoulder of the sleeping form beside him. "Bones." He tried again but no avail. His fingers traced the outline of her beautiful face down to the curve and hollow of her throat. He ran his thumb over her full lips, cupping her face with his hand. "Temperance?"

She stirred in her sleep, her eyes flickering open and closed as a rare lazy smile spread across her mouth.

"Merry Christmas, Temperance." Booth smiled, looking down at her before pressing a kiss to the warm skin of her neck. When he pulled back Brennan captured his lips in a soft kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Seeley." She replied, snuggling close to the muscular chest of the man lying behind her.

It had been one hell of a Christmas and definitely not the one she had expected. However, for Temperance Brennan, and for Seeley Booth for that matter, this was no bad thing. Neither of them would have thought that the prospect of another loveless Christmas and the murder of a little boy would bring the two partners together like this. It had was hard to pinpoint the exact moment when they had crossed the border from co-workers to lovers but looking back both of the realised that it had been a gradual process but it was just that Christmas Eve happened to be the time for the transition to come to a head.

_

* * *

Brennan slowly removed her hand from Booth's arm, she found herself not wanting to break the contact between the for fear of severing the moment of mutual understanding between them. From the outside Brennan could seem cold and hard, but only very few people knew what really lay beyond this exterior. One of those very few people happened to be Agent Seeley Booth. He encouraged her to show her emotions, along with her close friend Angela Montenegro, because he wanted to see the depth and beauty of the real Temperance Brennan. She really felt for Booth and his situation. She could see how deeply he cared for his son and hated how little time he got to spend with Parker. Christmas was supposed to mean time with family and friends but Rebecca was taking that away from Booth._

_Booth looked up at Brennan as she took her hand away from his arm, they shared a brief smile._

"_What a right pair of losers we are, hey Bones?" Booth said._

_Brennan sighed. "I know. Everyone else has someone to go home to this holiday and you and I are stuck in the lab doing what we do best." She replied wryly._

"_Why don't we spend Christmas together Bones?" He put up his hands in defence as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He hadn't even meant to make the suggestion and straightaway he knew that Brennan would find some way of turning him down._

"_Together?" She asked._

"_Look, it was just a suggestion, I won't be at all offended if you say no, I just thought, seeing as you're alone and I'm going to be alone…" He finished lamely._

"_What are you suggesting?" Brennan asked._

_Booth was shocked that Brennan was even considering his idea._

"_I don't know, maybe a film, a bottle of wine…you can sleep over in the spare room and I'll take you home sometime tomorrow?" _

_Brennan nodded, pushing back her chair. "Okay."_

"_Okay?" Booth asked. The reality of Christmas with Brennan was fully hitting him now and it might just be the best idea he had had all day._

_

* * *

Temperance Brennan didn't know why he was dressing up to go Booth's. She never usually bothered when she was around him because it wasn't what their relationship was about. They were colleagues, partners and sometimes, even friends but that didn't explain why she was making such an effort for tonight. She packed a small overnight bag and checked her appearance in her bedroom mirror. Her curly auburn hair was loose around her shoulders and she wore a light amount of make up. She had chosen to wear dark denims jeans, a low cut brown silk top and a heavy brown pendant from one of her many archaeological visits abroad. She found herself wondering if Booth would approve and then chided herself for thinking this way. This wasn't Temperance Brennan's way of thinking; no, it wasn't like her at all.__

* * *

Booth found himself obsessing over the state of his apartment. He never usually cared much about what his bachelor pad looked like but the thought of having Brennan to stay, if only for one night, made him panic almost irrationally. He quickly tied the spare room, which was clean enough already, as he had prepared it ready for Parker to stay. He felt a stab of pain as he thought of having to spend the holiday season without his son. It made him all the more grateful of Brennan's company._

_Booth felt a surge of nerves as he heard the intercom. He buzzed Brennan up and could hear he heels getting louder on the stairs until she was finally at his front door. Booth knew he couldn't put this off any longer and that, after all, it had been his idea to invite Brennan for Christmas._

* * *

"_Hi," Brennan smiled, almost a little shyly which was something knew for the forensic anthropologist._

"_Come on in, Bones." Booth smiled, taking her overnight bag from her hand and placing it by the wall._

"_Thanks Booth." Brennan smiled back, letting Booth lead her through to the living room where a fire was burning in the grate._

_Brennan took a seat on the couch as Booth took her coat to hang up in the hallway. He came back a few minutes later with a glass of wine in each hand and found Brennan looking at the DVDs he had left on the coffee table._

"_Anything take your fancy?" Booth asked, handing Brennan one of the glasses._

"_Huh?" Brennan replied, a little startled. "Oh, yeah, this one looks good."_

_

* * *

Booth inserted the chosen DVD into the machine and pressed play before joining Brennan on the couch. They sat at opposite ends of the dark blue couch but as the film progressed and the alcohol flowed, Brennan and Booth found the distance between them decreasing considerably. Brennan pulled her knees up for her chest and hugged them there, with their wine glasses sitting at the feet; Booth's hand had somehow come to rest on her knee. It wasn't really a sexual gesture more like a symbol of their familiarity and the comfort they felt around each other._

_The movie came to an end and Booth turned the machine off. It was close to midnight now._

"_Maybe we should head to bed?" Booth suggested, a hint of awkwardness creeping in now that they didn't have the film to divert their attention from each other. He suddenly realise the implications of his words. "I mean, it's getting late…" He stuttered._

_Brennan smiled in spite of herself. "I knew what you meant, Booth." She said softly. "But, there is still some wine left." She said, picking up the bottle._

_Booth sat back down on the couch and allowed Brennan to top his glass up again._

"_I almost forgot." Booth said after a few moments of sipping wine in silence. "Your Christmas present."_

"_Booth, thank you, but it can wait until tomorrow." Brennan said, a sparkle in her blue eyes. "After all it will be 'Christmas'."_

_Booth had to smile at this but he wanted to give Brennan her gift now before he backed out completely._

"_I know." Booth agreed. "But I want you to have it now."_

_Brennan nodded and watched Booth go, wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait a few short hours until Christmas Day itself. Booth returned a few minutes later with a small square package wrapped in white and silver paper._

_Brennan smiled gratefully at Booth as he handed her the gift and she carefully pulled back the paper. Inside was a small box; a jewellery box, from an expensive store in town. Brennan was touched that Booth had put so much thought into her present, it made her feel a little ashamed about her's. She opened the box to reveal a silver pendant, a little more delicate than what she usually wore, with a blue stone set into it, the exact same colour as her eyes._

"_Oh Booth, it's beautiful! Thank you so much." She smiled at him. She unclasped the necklace she was already wearing and put it into her pocket. _

"_Let me put it on for you." Booth offered, taking the pendant from the box. Brennan complied by lifting up her hair; Booth unclasped the necklace and draped it around her neck. Brennan felt her skin catching fire as Booth's hands danced over her neck. He trailed his fingers along his collarbone, watching Brennan's flesh come alive at his touch. He buried his face in her luscious hair, breathing in the scent of watermelon._

"_Booth," There was the faintest hint of warning in Brennan's voice but it was suppressed by her sense of desire._

_Their faces were improbably close together and as their eyes met their gaze was more intense than ever._

_Booth closed the distance between them, his lips now millimetres from his partner's. Brennan leaned closer and their lips meant in a hesitant kiss as they tested the waters. As the kiss intensified, Booth's begged for entry into Brennan's mouth with his tongue. As in their day-to-day life, they battled to be dominant; Brennan always wanted to have the last word._

"_Bones," Booth breathed as their lungs screamed at them for air._

"_Don't call me that, not now." Brennan said, pressing her lips to his again, longing to explore more of the man who had been so close to her yet so far away for way too long._

_Booth's hand tangled in Brennan's curls._

"_Temperance," He said instead, leaving her mouth to place kisses down her jawbone to the hollow of her throat, revelling in his partner's reactions._

_Brennan climbed on top of him, straddling his body, even if in a situation like this she wanted to be the one in control and Booth wasn't complaining. The kiss they shared become more intense again as Brennan tugged at Booth's shirt as he held her body close to his. Neither of them had time for regrets. After all it was the season of giving and receiving after all._


	4. Epilogue

**Another Christmas Alone  
Epilogue**

**Here's a short epilogue to clear up any loose ends from the previous part.  
Thanks to: Becca, Bex, Campbellk2, btvsfifi, fortune kookie 91, Non Toxic, MegMann, Darcyli81, beaglelvr93, SamandJake, CSIAngel, Gem6, RedSoxGal, and Uscfbfan for your reviews! Xxx **

-

When the Jeffersonian Institute reopened again properly after the Christmas and New Year break, Angela Montenegro was not surprised to find her best friend was already at work.

"Hey Ange." Temperance Brennan greeted her friend without looking up from the body on the gurney before her.

"Hey sweetie." Angela replied, looking at the remains. "Who is this?"

"Callum Price." Brennan replied, putting down her tools and turning to face Angela. "I found his body the day before Christmas Eve on my way home from work. I desperately wanted to give the family some closure this Christmas. Booth and I managed to identify him, he's tracking down the family now."

Angela rubbed Brennan's arm. "So you spent Christmas with Booth?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.

Brennan felt her cheeks flushing red, something very out of character for the forensic anthropologist.

"Yeah, we were working together, yes." She confirmed.

"Oh come on sweetie, you know you can tell me anything." Angela prompted. She knew there was more going on here than Brennan was telling her.

"Am I interrupting?" Seeley Booth asked, appearing at the doorway, a sheet of paper in his hand.

"No, not at all." Angela replied, giving him a disarming smile that made Booth share a panicked look with Brennan, who just smiled at him. "I'll, uh, leave you to it." Angela continued, looking pointedly at Brennan as she left the lab.

"What was that about?" Booth asked, crossing the room to stand at Brennan's side and brushing a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Angela's onto us." Brennan replied. "I think she knows something is going on."

"And how do you feel about that?" Booth asked, lifting Brennan's chin so she looked directly into his eyes.

"She's my best friend Seeley, I want her to know but I don't want people to treat us differently because we're a couple." Brennan explained.

"Okay," He understood where she was coming from. "Apart from the pleasure of seeing you Tempe, I came here for another reason. I found Callum Price's family."

"Let's go then." Brennan said, snapping off her gloves and letting her hair loose from its tight knot.

* * *

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Booth asked as he pulled his car up outside the Price's home.

Brennan firmly shook her head. "I need to do this, Booth."

Booth respected this. "I'll be right here waiting if you need me, Bones."

Brennan smiled, leaning over to kiss him sweetly on the lips. "Thanks." Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the card and headed up the few steps to the front door.

When the door opened, Brennan found herself face to face with a slight woman in her mid forties, her shoulder length hair appeared to have once been a dark brown but now it was flecked with grey. She looked as if she hadn't had a decent night sleep in months and her eyes were red and swollen from crying, Brennan guessed.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Brennan from the Jeffersonian Institute. I'd like to talk to you about your son." She explained calmly.

Mrs Price reached out, grabbing onto Brennan's arm.

"Callum? Have you found him? Is he okay?"

"May I come in?" Brennan asked, her heart breaking for the woman in front of her.

The woman stepped aside and let Brennan into her home, showing her to the living room where the anthropologist took a seat on an overstuffed couch.

"I don't know how to tell you this Mrs Price, but your son is dead." Brennan said carefully but whatever words she chose she could not soften the blow for the mother who had lost her son. She reached out and took the woman's hand. "I'm so very sorry."

Mrs Price pulled a tissue out of the pocket of her oversized grey cardigan and began to wipe her eyes.

"It's actually a relief." She admitted when her tears had subsided a little. "We spent so long not knowing what happened to Callum…"

Brennan stayed with the woman for a while; she couldn't bear to leave her alone after delivering the news.

"When we have finished with the body it will be released so you can have a proper burial from Callum." Brennan said when she eventually got up to leave.

"Thank you for everything, Doctor Brennan." Rose Price told her as she left.

"Call me Temperance." Brennan insisted. "I truly am sorry for your loss."

Rose nodded, unable to speak as she fought against another wave of tears. Brennan briefly hugged her as they parted at the doorstep.

* * *

"How did she take it?" Booth asked when Brennan climbed back into the car.

"As well as can be expected." Brennan replied. "I think she was quite relieved to find out what really happened to her son, living in wait was killing her."

Booth nodded. "I could only imagine what if it was like if it was my son…or you, for that matter."

Brennan smiled, placing her hand over his on the steering wheel.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm not going anywhere."

**Please review! xx**


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